On December 16, 2023, Beijing time, the Snooker Scottish Open decided the semifinals, and Chinese player Zhou Yuelong had the last laugh in a game of ups and downs, he defeated the world champion Bingham 5-4, thrillingly advanced to the semifinals, and challenged the defending champion Gary Wilson in the semifinals. The other semi-final was played by Higgins against Sancam, and judging from the top four lineup, this is another good opportunity for Zhou Yuelong to advance to the final and attack the championship.
This year's Scottish Open was full of upsets, and in the end, only one of the top 16 players advanced to the quarterfinals, and that was Higgins. Also in the quarter-finals is defending champion Gary Wilson, who has also shown good form. However, judging from the top eight lineup, this tournament may produce a new ranking champion, and the most anticipated by Chinese fans is undoubtedly Zhou Yuelong, who has made great progress this season, both in terms of technology and mentality.
In the first quarter-finals, Zhou Yuelong faced Stuart Bingham, who is a world champion and has a lot of experience. However, Zhou Yuelong quickly entered the game and used 100 points in a single stroke to give the opponent a dismount at the beginning. After 1-1, Zhou Yuelong continued to seize the opportunity in the chaotic battle, and after scoring 97 points in a single stroke in the fifth game, Zhou Yuelong had already won the match point 4-1, and it seemed that the victory was in hand.
However, Bingham is a world champion after all, and he showed a particularly tenacious side in a desperate situation, scoring 142 points in a single stroke in the sixth game, and then winning the seventh and eighth games to tie the game in an instant. In the decisive game, Zhou Yuelong withstood the pressure and scored 70 points in a single stroke, winning 5-4. This is the embodiment of Zhou Yuelong's progress, losing three games in a row did not make Zhou Yuelong collapse, this is the perfect sublimation of the mentality.
Zhou Yuelong thrillingly advanced to the semifinals, and the opponent in the semifinals was defending champion Gary Wilson, who felt hot, and scored 68 points, 96 points, 118 points, 68 points, and 82 points in a single stroke, swept Chris Wakelin 5-0, easily advanced to the semifinals, and took another solid step in the journey to defend the title. In other matches, Higgins eliminated Tom Forde 5-3, who had previously ended Ding Junhui's championship journey. Sancam eliminated Lin Shanfeng 5-3, and Higgins and Sancam will face each other in the semi-finals.
So far, the top four of this Scottish Open have all been born, and the semifinals will be held next, which are Gary Wilson VS Zhou Yuelong, Sancam VS Higgins, the top four lineup has world champion Higgins and defending champion Gary Wilson, they are obviously the favorites to win the championship, but Zhou Yuelong and Sancam are also very strong, this is a good opportunity for them to impact the championship. Zhou Yuelong has failed at the last moment in the previous championships, but he has also accumulated rich experience, I hope he will unload his burden, play the semifinals first, and strive to reach the finals again!